Do you "love" cars?

[TigerNSX]

I have a question that I would love to get your sincere feedback on.

When I was in business school, I met with many successful CEOs at Fortune 100 companies who came to school to share their life stories. They all recommended that we pursue what we felt passionate about and follow our dreams and hearts. That would be the fastest way to become successful, wealthy and most importantly, happy...

This has been confusing me for the longest time.

If I feel passionate about cars, racing, detailing, modifying, shouldn't I work in the automotive industry?

So, my question for you...

What's holding you from pursuing your passion or linking your passion to your profession?

 

[Dtrigg]

I did. Now I am retired. Life is good.:biggrin:

 

[docjohn]

At this point in my life responsability to my family holds me back from turning my hobbies/nonmedical interests into fulltime pursuits.I really think you need to pursue your passions at a young age with out having too many mouths to feed /depts to pay.Or you waite until you are past that.I think many succesful people are doing just that in retirement.70 is the new 60 ,so for me I will have to put off my "other" dream avocations a little while longer as I enjoy my 2 sons grow up to become men.

 

[steveny]

I love cars, driving them. I hate working on them. I love working RE. I hate a lot of the hassles that come with RE. The only thing I foolishly spend money on is cars. They are a terrible investment, most of them anyways. The only profession I would be happy doing is racing the car not fixing the car. Because I have very little talent as a driver I would have to be ultra wealthy to race professionally.:biggrin:

 

[steveny]

At this point in my life responsability to my family holds me back from turning my hobbies/nonmedical interests into fulltime pursuits.I really think you need to pursue your passions at a young age with out having too many mouths to feed /depts to pay.Or you waite until you are past that.I think many succesful people are doing just that in retirement.70 is the new 60 ,so for me I will have to put off my "other" dream avocations a little while longer as I enjoy my 2 sons grow up to become men.

Great post. I see now looking back the great value of youth and how you spend that youth has a direct effect on the remainder of your life. 20-35 is really when most people shape how their life will go for the next 50 years.

 

[blodi]

My whole life is cars. I love driving them. Working on them. Looking at them. And my day job is designing them all day. Can't get enough.

 

[Hasdrubal]

I've always felt that you should do what you like for a living, and use the profits to do what you love as a hobby. The last thing I would want for myself is to realize after investing years into a particular career, that I had grown so sick of 'having' to do the job that I no longer enjoyed it. The stresses of schedules, supervisors, and all else that goes along with a job has the potential to rob me of something that brings me joy, and then what would I do to relax?

Nick

 

[RPM217]

Good post Yong, and some good answers too. Many times what you love or are passionate about you don't have the skills, talents and ability to support yourself and your family, so those become hobbies, things that you do outside of work that bring you joy. It IS important to do something that you enjoy to make a living, if not you won't get satisfaction and that will not serve you well. It's about 33 years ago (yesterday to be exact) that my father passed away, 10 days later I graduated college, withdrew my applications to graduate school and took over my father's business. A business that while very lucrative I hated. I ran it for 3 1/2 years, put my older sister through graduate school, my younger one finished her college degree, I sold the business, gave the proceeds to my mother and started out all over. I thoroughly enjoy what I do, I make a good living doing it, I help people, and am able to indulge in some of the things that I like to do away from the office. The car, playing tennis, allowing my wife to indulge some of her "wants", enjoying our daughter, etc. These are what define me as well. Long ago I realized that it was so important to enjoy what you do, I've always said that if you don't enjoy what you do, you won't sleep well, if you don't sleep well you won't be able to perform your job well. I think you get the picture, they're linked so tightly that you need to get satisfaction in what you do every day, in order to indulge your joys outside. Those who can make a living doing what they have a passion for, are truly blessed. It would be a fantastic thing if we could all live our dreams, but that's not a reality. Damn, I've rambled on.............

 

[TigerNSX]

Roger and others who posted,

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Your anecdotes are definitely insightful and enlightening.

I feel that I am at an important stage in my career in which choices that I make will affect not only my life, but also my wife, daughter and families back home. I have never really delved so deeply into these decisions and the more I think about such directions, the more confused I am.

However, your advices will help me navigate through this mentally and emotionally challenging period of my life.

Thanks again.

 

[Dtrigg]

OK. Now I feel guilty that I said I did live my dreams and my professional passions and that now I am retired in my first post. When I was very young I flunked out of college, joined the Army and was able to become an Infantry Officer via Officer Canidate School. Due to the military I was able to travel to many different locations, explore different cultures, learn new experiences, etc. Even as an Infantry Officer in Viet Nam, I found the country and people to be a fantastic experience. When I returned to the U.S. I knew that I wanted to see the world, see different places, experience different cultures, and live life to the fullest.

I went on to get my B.A. and MBA in International Business Management. From then, I was able to live and work in Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. I really don't think many people on the planet have had a more wonderful life than mine. I really loved what I did. It wasn't like a job but an adventure. I was very fortunate to be very successful financially and I am now retired. Now I am able to travel when and where I want. I think all of this is due to the fact that I did what I what I really wanted to do and that I loved doing it.

Had my first NSX when I lived in Europe. Have another one now in San Francisco. Life really is wonderful. Sure, you'll find some bumps in the road, and in retrospect, that's good as well.

Go with what you love, and do it with the best of your ability. You'll do fine. By fine I mean that you'll enjoy doing what you do. That's really important. Most people don't get to experience that.

 

[Vega$ NSX]

I love cars. I love money more. I make way more with my current job then I ever could with cars.

 

[Tony Montoya]

It's more of a love/hate relationship.

 

[SoCalDude]

I love looking at sports cars but nobody would pay me to do that :biggrin:

I work to support my family and four years ago I became able to look at a NSX daily. My family appreciates it and I feel blessed to be able to support them and the NSX. :smile:

Maybe one day, I will be able to look at a Ford GT daily as well. :tongue:

 

[NSXAMG996TT]

Yes, I love cars too -it's my form of therapy:wink: . Growing up poor and watching my friends drive new cars handed to them has had an impact on me. Today, people say I am foolish for spending my money on a new sports car every six months. Doesn't bother me because I'm still able to pay my bills and support my family of four.

 

[sahtt]

I am making significant sacrifices so that my automotive related goals will be realities (among others, but this is the only big one that is strictly for me). I plan to be able to travel the world at will, race on whatever track I want, and afford the car and the tires/gas/etc. that comes a long with it. I cannot accomplish this by working at jiffy lube. To reach this goal takes money, and dump trucks full of it.

I guess it comes down to working at the Ferrari factory or doing whatever opportunities are available and fit your skills so that you can own the ferrari, although a bit later than perhaps wished. That or I could car jack steveny, but now that I posted this I think my chances are shot.

 

[H-carWizKid]

Yes, I do love cars but my turn in the automotive industry was anything but a love fest. I have found that keeping my hobbies seperate from my work has kept me from corrupting both.

When I think of my turn in automotive sales, and finance and think about the good money I was pulling down, it is tempered by the memory of the school teacher that tried to blackmail me after her purchase by telling me if I didn't provide her $250.00 she would give me a lousy CSI report.

I look at all the private owner car sales gone wrong, and all the acidic "vendor complaints" found on these boards.

I look at all those things and I feel a sense of relief that I don't have to deal with any of that crap.

At the same time as I wandered the vast halls at SEMA last fall I couldn't help but wish that I could work in the industry again...

Its a double edged sword.

Philip